Club news – Page 16 – Chapman Report Online

February 28, 2011

English Ford Reunion @ Laguna Seca (Apr 30 – May 1)

On Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st. The SCCA, along with HSR-West, will be holding their only “vintage” race event of the year at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. In addition to some other featured races, we are gathering for a ENGLISH FORD Reunion featuring Anglia’s, Escort’s and the legendary Lotus Cortina.

There will be plenty of track time for all involved. Saturday will have a 15 minute warm up session, a 15 minute timed qualifying session and a 25 minute feature race. Sunday will have a 20 minute warm up and a 25 minute feature later in the day. Our cars will be run in a “small bore” production class with the exception of later model Escorts that have the option to run in “big bore production”. All this on one of the most beautiful and challenging world class facilities around.

The SCCA has asked that all of the English Ford race cars park together in the paddock. Special parking for all street cars will also be available. SCCA is also offering a lap of the track and lunch for $20.00.

On Saturday night, we will feature a special dinner for all of you English Ford and Lotus fans out there. Legendary racer Bob Winkelmann will be one of our special guests, bringing along a ton of old race photos and the stories to back them up. Joining Bob will be former TEAM LOTUS mechanic, Syd Carr. Syd worked on the Team Lotus Cortina race team with Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and a host of other hero drivers from the 60’s. Syd also worked on the Formula Two and Formula One race teams. Syd will also be sharing photos and stories. We are in the process of scanning all of these photos will use a LCD system to show them. Both will be open to Q & A during the evening. This is a night not to miss.

The number of those attending will determine the venue. Most likely THE BAJA CANTINA in nearby Carmel Valley. Great mexican food and a new banquet room that seats up to 80. A great place that is very racer friendly.

THE ORGANIZERS NEED TO GET AN IDEA ON HOW MANY WILL ATTEND. If you think you are attending the weekend please get back to them asap. We have had interest from New England to Florida to Washington State to Texas. Ross Bremer has inquired about bringing 4 cars all the way from Florida. Three Lotus Cortinas are coming down from the Pacific Northwest. Our own list master, Bob Woolner, will be in attendance. The Winkster, Syd Carr! There are no more excuses………..this is the event to attend.

For you Lotus fans this is a chance to meet some of the folks who made history. We invite you all.

Additional event info will be posted as it develops. This is also a “normal motel rate” weekend in Monterey. Nice places can be had for as little as $80 a night.

For more information on the weekend please contact Mike Summers at bluesbrother30@yahoo.com

December 10, 2010

Holiday Open House benefiting Toys for Tots

Join GGLC Sponsor Dietsch Werks on Dec 15th for a Holiday Party benefiting Toys for Tots!

Dietsch Werks and many other businesses located inside Club Auto Sport will be decking the drive isles with cars and holleys!

Exotic cars, cocktails, holiday treats and decor will be plentiful so stop by after work, share a toast and help us help the Marines in their quest to make this Holiday Season a memorable one for kids who need it the most.

November 19, 2010

Lotus Management on the Future of Lotus (GGLC Exclusive Interviews)

GGLC attended the North America launch of the new Lotus range at the LA Auto Show and got a chance to speak to senior management about their plans for Lotus and the challenges in launching 5 new cars in a short span of time. Short descriptions of the interviews and their major points are below but we recommend you watch the actual videos to get a sense about the future direction of Lotus

First up we spoke to Dany Bahar, the CEO of Group Lotus about his vision for the future of the company and why they were launching so many cars in such a short timeframe. Major points that he confirmed were:

Not all cars will be going to aluminium skins, the Elise will remain a composite body
Motorsports activities will include Evora GT4, Evora GT2, IndyCar (bespoke engine and aero)
Simultaneous worldwide launch with an intended volume of 6-7000 cars per year

Next up was Donato Coco, Head of Lotus Design and the man behind the 5 cars on display. He spoke to us about the challenges in designing iconic cars like the Esprit as well as the goals for the design language for the Lotus range. Our favorite quite here was that the design for the new front ends has been inspired by the original Lotus Seven and if you look at the cars (especially the Elise) it does actually come through.

Finally we spoke to Wolf Zimmermann, CTO of Lotus about the challenges in rapidly developing 5 new cars. This was a great interview with reasons behind various decisions and we recommend you watch the whole video below. Significant points include:

Aluminium bodies are required because composite cannot provide the required quality and shapes for the new designs
Engines are not yet confirmed but will be decided in the next few months
VVA architecture and manufacturing will have to be upgraded to meet targets
Lotus Engineering is already involved in some of the design processes

November 17, 2010

LA Auto Show Lotus Booth pictures

November 12, 2010

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

Lotus Racing are now back in the middle-east for the last race of the 2010 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The team is in buoyant mood after another solid performance in Sao Paulo saw them tighten their grip on tenth place in the Championship, moving ever closer to achieving their primary goal in their debut season.

The Lotus Racing story is nothing short of spectacular. The team has already won an army of fans worldwide, gained huge respect within the notoriously tough F1 paddock and in the wider commercial world, and gone from a workforce of just four in September 2009 to over 200 now, all focused on taking a major step forward in 2011 to take on and beat the established teams ahead.

Fairuz Fauzy (driving in place of Heikki Kovalainen in FP1): “I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and I think it will be a very special atmosphere, on track and in the garage. The twilight running obviously makes the race very interesting, but as I’ll be going out in FP1 the real challenge for me is to try and push on what will be a very green track. I’ve spent a bit of time in a simulator to prepare for the run on Friday, but it will obviously be different when I get out on the real thing.”

Heikki Kovalainen: “Abu Dhabi is a great track and I like the fact we race in the fading light. I think it will be a good fight up at the front, and for us it’s the end of a very long, but so far very rewarding season. Everyone in the team has done really well all year, pushing us along to where we are now, and this weekend is all about maintaining concentration and giving it one final effort before we start focusing entirely on next year. I’m excited about the race and I think we’ll be in good shape to keep up the pressure on the guys around us.”

Jarno Trulli: “It’s the last race but for me it’s still all about getting my car across the finish line with Heikki so we can tie up tenth place. The track isn’t a huge challenge – it’s not as rewarding to drive on as somewhere like Brazil, but we’ll be ok there as our car should be pretty much as far ahead of those around us as we have been in the last few races.”

Mike Gascoyne: “Down to the last race and I don’t think we could be going there in any better shape. Abu Dhabi should be another track where we can take the fight to our nearest rivals, and all season long we have seen that the investment in experience throughout the whole team has held us in very good stead in our first season. You could see in Brazil that both Heikki and Jarno were able to pull away from Timo throughout the race, and that is down to excellent work all year by the team at the track and the factory, and in the two cockpits, and we are aiming for that to be repeated at the last race. The goal is obviously to finish tenth, and we would like to do that in the same style we have shown all season – by beating those around us, so everyone will be putting in one last big effort to repay the faith shown in us by our fans all year and everyone who has helped us reach this point of the season.”

Tony Fernandes: “As we approach the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix I feel a great sense of accomplishment and delivery. In just one year we have delivered a team that has presented itself and behaved like one that has been racing for a long time. We made the bold decision to bring in two experienced drivers who have helped us push our way up as quickly as possible, on and off track, and from the earliest days of our team we have respected the heritage of Colin Chapman and his family and treated them both with the honour and style they deserve. It will be an incredible feeling to see the culmination of our first season back at another track where the Lotus Racing dream took shape. We came to the 2009 race, and while I hoped then that we would be where we are now, I could not have predicted we would have come quite as far as we have. Our future is extremely exciting. We have everything in place to take a big step forward next year, and I truly believe we have already exceeded our own expectations in our first season. For a team that had only five months to build our first car, as well as an entire race team and factory, we can hold up our heads up high to our fans, the Chapman family, the paddock fraternity and most importantly, to ourselves. There has been a huge amount of discussion about Lotus re-entering Formula One for the first time since 1994, but we spent this year looking ahead and not engaging in the talk about bringing the Lotus brand back. We went about our business in our own unassuming way, letting our actions speak louder than our words, and we will continue to do just that. We have a unique style and will always stay true to that as we move forward, up to the ultimate position of one day being World Champions.”

November 6, 2010

Lotus launches the Ice Attack training program

It’s not enough to simply provide people with the gorgeous multi-award winning Evora, Lotus wants people to be able to drive the car come hell or high water (perhaps not too high water!). So after a great deal of careful thought and consideration, Lotus has united with four-time world rally driving champion Juha Kankkunen to develop the ultimate winter driving programme – Ice Attack – and it’s not for the faint hearted!

Based on the winter ice tracks of Northern Finland just 60km south of the Arctic circle, in what has often been described as one of the world’s most beautiful settings, the Lotus Ice Attack programme has been designed to offer the thrills and spills of powering around in the ice and snow.

During the trip drivers will learn first hand how to navigate safely in low grip conditions, how to brake and change direction effectively, as well as experiencing the limitations of driving in the most extreme conditions. Drivers will also explore the handling characteristics of the Evora.

A series of white-knuckle exercises have been designed to take the driver and the car to the limit on a safe and controlled track. Each session, with a professional instructor, can be tailored to meet individual needs throughout the day.

Commenting on Lotus Ice Attack, Juha Kankkunen said: “I’m delighted that Lotus chose my driving academy to partner with for this extreme weather driving event. I think that the Evora is the perfect car to put to the test in the special winter conditions created in Kuusamo and I’m very much looking forward to welcoming people to this incredible arctic experience.”

Click here to download the flyer for the Ice Attack program or head directly to their website to sign up.

November 6, 2010

Hooked on Driving Charity Event (Nov 12)

The organizers at Hooked on Driving have a VERY special day in store for all drivers and paid guests on November 12th, at Thunderhill Raceway. Event Chair John Edwards has been working feverishly and has put together an amazing experience with spectacular opportunities to enjoy driving this world class road course while benefitting the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The event honors HOD member Derric des Marteau, lost to prostate cancer last year and now painfully missing from our grid. The main features of the day will be:

• $100 of each registration is being donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation

• A silent auction will have cases of wine, dinners out, racing books, pro sports collectibles such as a Dusty Baker signed jersey, pro race corner weight set up for your car and TONS more great items

• A live auction – David Vodden, auctioneer, with a set of Pirelli tires, Maui Condo vacation, TW Steel Dario Franchitti edition watch, arrive and drive in the FFR GTM-R, a track day in a Spec E30 race car, sail the Bay on a 37 footer with you and 5 guests, Shasta and Lake Almanor getaways, a private horse sanctuary getaway, tasting for 6 at exclusive Delectus Winery, Oakland A’s Field Pass ticket package and LOTS more….

• Lifetime memories in special cars – paid “Rides for PCF” in a Terry Labonte Winston Cup car (raced at Infineon – #94 Sunoco), Porsche Carrera Cup race car, Ariel Atom, Miller Challenge Mustang race car, brand new ZR1 Corvette, Audi R8, and other race and exotic cars. At $100 for a full session riding in these cars, you will come away saying “PRICELESS.” Guests will be welcomed to participate in this program!!

In addition, Corvette Magazine will be there doing a comparison of the new Corvette carbon fiber Z07 package with a ZR1, and the BMW CCA Golden Gate drivers will be joining us to get ready for their weekend of racing.

REGISTER TODAY!! Look for the Nov 12 “Derric’s Day” event.NOTE: There is a separate guest registration for $25 that gets you a great lunch and bidder number for the auctions – invite your friends – WE NEED BIDDERS!!

Lastly – if you would like more information about this cause, please visit the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

November 3, 2010

Great America Autocross Report

Text by Kiyoshi Hamai, Photos by David K Ellis, Video by Rahul Nair

The 2010 GGLC Autocross Series came to a close on October 16th at the expansion parking lot of Great America in Santa Clara.

The event closed what was another banner year of GGLC autocrossing that featured 6 points events, a practice event and two 2-day autocross schools. In all there were nearly 500 drivers who took over 5,000 runs and spent over 4,000 minutes on track (nearly 3 days of driving)!

We thank the 2010 GGLC Autocross Series sponsor Boardwalk Lotus, Redwood City, CA for supporting the entire series and providing our trophies and season ending BBQ celebration.

Final Round – October 16th

70 drivers arrived and were confronted with a challenging course that twisted through the lot. Weather was “perfect” fall Bay Area, a bit cool in the morning with a very light breeze mid-day with a few clouds around to temper the sun.

Of the entrants 37 Lotus comprised of 21 Elise and 6 Exige, plus it was designated as “Classic Lotus” day. The classic Lotus were represented by 3 Seven/Seven clones, 3 early Elans, an Esprit and 3 Europas, or maybe we should say 2 Europas and a “Europa” in BIG quotes!

Course set-up took a bit longer than usual since we aren’t as familiar with the site and unlike the Marina site there aren’t any 20’ x 20’ squares in the concrete. But, we were up and ready to run by 8:30 and the first car hit the track right at 9 am.

This was a longish course, with a crossover. Coming from the start box was a very quick left-90 and then a slight right bend and a crest that made a blind entry into a sweeping and dipping right-hander. You then sweeped to the left under power into a sweeping 180 right that was followed by a 4 cone slalom. The trick was to stay well to the inside exiting the 180 to set up for the slalom.

It was back through the crossover and bend to the right with a tight exit as there was a bulge on the left. This was followed by a double right hand corners where you took the first as an early apex, then took an early turn in for the second as the tarmac fell away toward a drain in the lot and the car wanted to drift wide of the apex.

A fairly quick left sweep that led up to the far end of the lot and a 90-left followed by a straight and a box slalom. The final leg was another 4 cone slalom where the 3rd cone was off-set causing you to have to slow.

Raw TTOD went to our own Barry S. in the peusdo Europa with a 42.811. Barry just finished re-assembling and installing his engine the evening before after getting some machining done to cure an oil leak that cropped up 2 weekends earlier.

Barry’s “Europa” may looks sort of like a Europa… the only part that’s still pure Europa are the door skins, roof panel and bit of the rear quarters and engine cover. Underneath is a modified Esprit chassis, custom suspension and a turbocharged 3 rotor Mazda 20B engine with Porsche gearbox.

John Z in the Flamer Europa got down to a 52.2 before running into a driveline problem and Tom C got his Toyota powered S2 Europa to a 56.499.

The Elan drivers were showing their stuff with Royce H in his S3 Elan down to a 53.767 followed by Mel B at a 54.694 (when he could find his way around the course) and Dan W at a 56.083.

The Seven-clones were speedy and competitive with the quickest being Jim R in his WCM Ultralite getting down to a 47.489, Rahul N also in a WCM Ultralite at 47.511 and then Dave H in a Caterham Superlight at 47.840. Great driving from all three to be within 4 tenths of one another!

Andy C took the his Esprit to best 54.796.

And then came the gaggle of Elise and Exige drivers.

Fast time for this group went to Shelly M at a blazing 45.328, showing everyone why Shelly is the reigning 2010 SCCA SoloII Champion.

For stock Elise came Cappy P with a 48.975 and stock with R tires was Alfonso C at 47.634. The quickest Exige was driven by Pascal V with a 47.165 just besting Hiroshi K at 47.913.

The Open Class was topped by Barry’s Europa and 2nd went to Issac A in a EvoX at 46.103.

BBQ and Year-end Awards
As has become the tradition at the final event, we arranged for a catered BBQ lunch complete with tables, chairs and tablecloths! BBQ beef and chicken with potato salad and dessert was prepared on site and year end trophies awarded.

This year the Open Class winner was a repeat champion, Joshua S in his 2006 Evo-IX. 2nd in class was Issac A in his 2008 Evo-X.

In what can only be called an upset the Lotus class Champion went to Shelly M who’s consistent finishes put her a top last year’s champ, Jason S.

We also had a chance to take this fantastic photograph of all the Lotus lined up during the lunch break. Click on the image to see the full resolution version but be warned that it is a very large file (10 MB)

GGLC Autocross 2011
We now get a bit of a breather over the winter. And, within the next couple months the 2011 GGLC Autocross calendar will be announced. It’s likely there will 6 points events with one or two practice events, a autocross school and LOG 31 (Lotus Owners Gathering) in Las Vegas where the GGLC has been asked to host the LOG Autocross. So 2011 will be fun and busy!

Photo Gallery
A huge thanks to Dave Ellis for taking these wonderful pictures and making them available to the club.

October 18, 2010

GGLC Holiday Dinner (11-Dec-2010)

Sign up and reserve your place at the gala GGLC Holiday Celebration at Ristorante Don Giovanni in Mt View. Don’t miss out on the wine, food, door prizes and welcome the new president.

GGLC Gift Exchange
Everyone attending is invited to participate in the Annual GGLC White Elephant Gift Exchange. To participate bring a wrapped unwanted “gift” item from your garage to the dinner. Please make sure your gift is non-toxic and clean. Then at the dinner you’ll have the opportunity to exchange it for another “gift”.

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Click here to sign up for the dinner.